Subject and Verb Agreement

Incorrect:
John Smith is a better writer than him.

John Smith and him are using the verb is. The second verb is assumed for “him”. If it had been included the sentence would read, “John Smith is a better writer than him is.”

Correct:
John Smith is a better writer than he.

Another Example:

Incorrect:
Sally runs faster than me. ie. Sally runs faster than me do.

Correct:
Sally runs faster than I.

Pronoun and Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun refers to a noun that has already been identified. An antecedent is referred to by the pronoun.

Incorrect:
Whenever a courier stops by, make sure you have them sign our log.

Correct:
Whenever a courier stops by, make sure you have him or her sign our log.

Incorrect:
I spoke to someone at the restaurant, but they said they don’t take reservations.

Correct:
I spoke to someone at the restaurant, but she said they don’t take reservations.
(When the gender is known, it should be specified.)

Misused Apostrophes

An apostrophe indicates possession and contractions. It is never used to indicate plurality.

Incorrect:
The CD’s are on the table.
He is a child of the 60’s.

Correct:
The CDs are on the table.
He is a child of the 60s.

To indicate possession of a singular noun you add an apostrophe followed by an “s”. The exception to this rule is the word “its” since “it’s” is the contraction of “it is.”

Incorrect:
The drug morphine derives it’s name from the Greek god Hypnos’ son Morpheus.

Correct:
The drug morphine derives its name from the Greek god Hypnos’s son Morpheus.

Apostrophes are used in contractions to indicate the omitted portions of the word(s).

Incorrect:
Its important that we find it’s leash; otherwise we can’t take it for a walk.

Correct:
It’s important that we find its leash; otherwise we can’t take it for a walk.

Dates

When writing a date do not include “th.” “nd,” and “rd.”

Incorrect:
Your forms must be received by September 15th, 2006.

Correct:
Your forms must be received by September 15, 2006.

Decimal Point

Do not omit the zero in front of a decimal point.

Incorrect:
The burger costs $.99.

Correct:
The burger costs $0.99.

Omit the decimal point when refering to cents. Including the decimal point means you are refering to a value that is less than a penny.

Incorrect:
The burger costs .99 cents.
The burger costs .99¢.

Correct:
The burger costs 99 cents.
The burger costs 99¢.

Parentheses and Brackets

Parentheses and brackets should always have space around them.

Incorrect:
The trend chart(Fig. 3)shows the increase across the last ten years.

Correct:
The trend chart (Fig. 3) shows the increase across the last ten years.